Party switching: The reviews keep on coming

Here’s some reaction to Rep. Aaron Peña’s party switch that didn’t make it into Wednesday’s story – disappointed Democrats followed by happy Republicans:

DEMOCRATIC REACTION

Peña’s party switch just six weeks after his re-election as a Democrat from a strong Democratic district makes no sense, said Rep. Trey MartinezFischer, D-San Antonio, chairman of the Mexican American Legislative Caucus. He told my colleague Gary Scharrer, “One only needs to read a few paragraphs of the state Republican Party Platform and realize that Hispanics have very little acceptance in the Republican Party.”

Peña should not expect a “welcome wagon” from grass-roots Republicans considering Peña’ s lifelong status as a Democrat, Martinez Fischer said, adding that the very issues Pena has advocated for – including bilingual education, pre-kindergarten programs and citizenship opportunities for immigrants – “are rejected by the Republican Party even though they are the values of Rep. Pena’s district.”

MALC Chairman Trey Martinez Fischer, D-San Antonio

“Given the dynamics of his district and given the values of the Republican Party being so contrary to his constituents, you have to wonder what Aaron’s long-term future is in Texas politics,” the MALC chairman said.

Politics is always a blend of public service and self-interest, Martinez Fischer said: “I don’t believe he made the move for public service. As for self-interest, you have to ask him, but it begs the question.”

Rep. Pete Gallege, D-Alpine, said he was saddened: “Aaron’s district lies in one of the poorest counties in the country. For years, he fought alongside Democrats to give the children of his district a clearer shot at a better life – as we attended to their need for a quality education, a safe environment, and basic health care.”

Gallego noted that Peña was among Democrats who fled to Ardmore, Oklahoma, to stall GOP-led congressional redistricting in 2003, and that same year was among those who “sought to shield entire communities of fellow Texans as thousands of kids were unceremoniously booted from CHIP, as the cost of college tuition was put out of reach for many working and middle class families, and nursing home funding for the most vulnerable among us was cut.”

Rep. Pete Gallego, D-Alpine

Gallego said that the coming session will look like 2003 “in all the worst ways.”

“Many Republicans are already openly and seriously discussing removing the caps on classroom sizes for the youngest students, as well as the wholesale withdrawal from and elimination of Texas Medicaid. Many Republicans have declared war on Pre-kindergarten, which we know to have long-term benefits for the productivity of Texas children and our economy at large. Many Republicans have made a political punching bag out of our communities, promoting divisive policies like English-only restrictions and the elimination of the basic constitutional right of birthright citizenship.

“This Aaron Peña is not the Aaron Peña I know. I cannot reconcile Aaron joining today’s extremist right-wing Republican Party with his readiness in 2003 to fight on the front lines as Republican budget cuts devastated the lives of our constituents. Whatever his concerns about the long term political prospects of the Democratic Party, those concerns are far outweighed by the needs of millions of Texans who needed his voice, his eloquence, and his efforts.”

REPUBLICAN REACTION

House Speaker Joe Straus welcomed Peña to “the party of smaller government, fiscal restraint, the party that works to create private sector opportunities and rewards individual initiative.”

Speaker Joe Straus, R-San Antonio

“We are thrilled to have you in our family,” Straus said.

Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, in welcoming Peña and party-switching Rep. Allan Ritter, said, “Their determination to join our Republican majorities in the Texas Legislature is a testament to the strength of our Party’s ideas and our broad base of support across the state. s we saw in the last election, the Republican Party has continued to grow here in Texas because we welcome new voices, and we support leaders like Representatives Ritter and Peña who will work together for commonsense conservative solutions that will benefit all Texans.”

GOP Gov. Rick Perry said, “Their arrival not only gives Republicans the largest House majority anyone can remember, it also gives credence to our belief that people are increasingly drawn to our party’s conservative values at a time when liberal excesses are threatening to drag our country under.”